How To Approach Christmas

Hebrews 9:27-28

December 11, 2005

Last week we talked about Christ and the sacrifices.

We talked about how He is our sin offering before God.

He is the One who suffered outside the gate.

He is the One who atones for our sin.

That is precisely the theme in Hebrews 9.

He spends the chapter showing the significance of the death of Christ.

Hundreds of thousands of lambs, bulls, and goats lost their lives,

And none of them fully atoned for sin.

But Jesus died once, and His blood was enough to atone forever

Hebrews 9:11-14 “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

He has spent the chapter showing the sufficiency of the death of Christ.

And of course we glory in the death of Christ.

It was this sacrifice that allowed us to be justified before God.

It is Jesus death that allows us to receive salvation.

But he doesn’t want to leave you just thinking about Jesus death

He doesn’t want his readers looking upon this sacrifice

As the end of the line for the Savior.

And this is why he pens the last two verses of this chapter.

I know we aren’t supposed to be talking about Jesus’ death right now.

We are supposed to be talking about His birth.

I see the Christmas decorations. I heard the songs this morning.

I know this is Christmas,

And at Christmas we talk about babies, mangers and wise men and shepherds and gifts and “decking halls” and reindeers with red noses.

But not if you want to fully appreciate Christmas.

You see, if all we ever see is the baby in the manger,

You will never fully appreciate what Christmas means.

When I was a child, my parents used to do one of the cruelest things

(or so I thought) on Christmas morning.

Before we got to open presents,

We had to all sit down and listen to the Christmas story.

And as a child, looking at all those packages,

The story just seemed like a necessary technicality.

BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I’VE NOTICED AS I’VE GROWN UP?

Many adults treat that story exactly the same way.

They read it, but it’s the same old story.

We know it inside and outside, and so,

While we all talk about Christmas being more than presents,

It often just becomes empty talk,

Because we have grown complacent with the story.

But I want you to know something.

CHRISTMAS IS HUGE!

And when we fully begin to comprehend what Christmas means,

It ought to spark an excitement in us that truly brings joy to the world.

But in order to fully understand Christmas, you must realize:

It is bigger than the manger…

It is bigger than the wise men…

It is bigger than the story…

And so this morning to help us learn how to approach Christmas,

There are four things that the writer points out that we will look at.

#1 A NEARING APPOINTMENT

Hebrews 9:27

“And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,”

Now there’s a verse that makes you want to sing “fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la”

We all have an inescapable appointment.

There is a date that is quickly approaching for all of us.

It is the day in which we will leave this world.

Sometimes we think it would be nice if we could cancel the appointment

But we aren’t the ones who scheduled it.

It was appointed by God. He made it.

And this appointment was made to be followed by judgment.

This day is on everyone’s calendar.

Now we don’t know when our appointment is,

We don’t even have the luxury of knowing whose appointment is next.

We just know that there is a day when I am scheduled.

And don’t worry about if your busy on that day,

You will drop whatever you are doing to make sure you aren’t late.

WE HAVE AN APPOINTMENT, AND IT KIND OF LOOMS OVER US DOESN’T IT?

Just take a second and think about that.

Some day, you will die, and you will be judged.

It doesn’t matter what you believe, it doesn’t matter how you live, it doesn’t matter if you drink whole milk or 2%, some day you will still die.

And although we often choose not to think about it,

This scheduled appointment sends out the cruelest of reminder cards.

They arrive unwelcomed periodically.

We all received one last Saturday when Doug Harney was killed in a pickup wreck, and we all were reminded that there is no rule that says the oldest must go next.

We received a reminder about a month ago when the young pastor in Waco, and we all were reminded that there is no rule that says the most evil must go next.

We get reminders when we see the news…

We get reminders when we get a check up at the doctor’s office…

We get reminders with every illness…

Even when we try to forget about it,

Something continually brings the appointment to our minds.

What a pitiful people are the human race.

Solomon understood this.

Ecclesiastes 9:2-3 “It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean and for the unclean; for the man who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner; as the swearer is, so is the one who is afraid to swear. This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all men. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead.”

We understand the pitiful shape we are in.

So did the people back in the Old Testament.

(LEVITICUS – “unclean”)

It can certainly be a futile way of life to know

That some day you will die and then you will be judged.

SO HOW IN THE WORLD DOES THAT HELP US APPROACH CHRISTMAS?

You cannot fully appreciate Christmas

Until you realize why you need it.

You see we as humans were fighting a battle we couldn’t win.

That is until Christmas came and the help showed up.

Hebrews 2:14-15 “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”

It is the miracle of the incarnation!

God actually became a human and “share in flesh and blood” just to help us.

Many people never fully appreciate Christmas

Because they don’t fully understand why they needed it.

#2 THE NEEDED ATONEMENT

Hebrews 9:28a

“so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many…”

Of course we know we will die,

That is a curse we can rightly hang on Adam.

He’s the one who opened the door and let death come barging in.

But when we get honest we see that the judgment that comes after death

Still hangs on us.

Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned”

Adam may have opened the door,

But we all determined to give sin and death a greeting.

We all signed up for his newsletter. We all joined his club.

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

The writer of Hebrews realizes this,

So he gives us this second thing to focus on,

And that is the atonement we so desperately needed.

And there are three aspects we see about this needed atonement

1) Surety of the Atonement

“So Christ also”

Christ’s atonement is as certain as the fact that you will die.

2) Sufficiency of the Atonement

“having been offered once”

The reason this speaks of the sufficiency is because goats, bulls, lambs,

Were all offered over and over again simply because they weren’t sufficient.

They never fully measured up to what God was looking for.

Hebrews 10:1-4 “For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins? But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

But the atonement of Jesus was sufficient

Hebrews 10:11-14 “Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, waiting from that time onward UNTIL HIS ENEMIES BE MADE A FOOTSTOOL FOR HIS FEET. For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.”

3) Satisfaction of the Atonement

“to bear the sins of many”

He satisfied the wrath that was coming to us.

You see, people are enamored with the baby Jesus.

We love the story of the manger and the wise men and the shepherds.

We love the picture painted by the cattle lowing the baby awake.

BUT THAT ISN’T ALL THE STORY

This child was born to die.

Luke 2:34-35 “And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed — and a sword will pierce even your own soul — to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed."

God entered our world in order to atone for our sin.

Galatians 4:4-5 “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”

2 Corinthians 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”

TO APPRECIATE CHRISTMAS

Realize how bad you need it.

Realize the reason the baby is in the manger

#3 THE NOBLE APPEARING

Hebrews 9:28b

“so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin,”

Now here is what the writer of Hebrews wanted to leave you with.

It didn’t end with Jesus death.

He is alive, and He will return!

The second time He comes for salvation.

But I thought I was already saved.

DO YOU STILL SIN?

Then I guess your salvation isn’t complete yet is it?

Romans 13:11 “Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.”

1 Peter 1:9 “obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.”

Both Peter and Paul spoke of salvation as something yet to occur.

Because at this point our salvation is not yet complete.

The day you placed your faith in Jesus, you were justified in the sight of God.

Now, until death you are going through the process of sanctification.

When Jesus returns, comes glorification.

1 John 3:2 “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.”

We are still living in anticipation of our salvation from this world.

This another thing you must do

In order to fully appreciate Christmas.

You must grasp the anticipation it brings.

It is a time of rejoicing because God came,

But it ignites in us an even greater anticipation

Because we know that the God who came once will indeed come again!

In this way we share in the anticipation of the saints of old.

TURN TO: ISAIAH 9:1-7

TURN TO: MICAH 5:1-5

Only part of that prophecy has been fulfilled.

We still anticipate the day when the rest of it is fulfilled.

We see the same thing in some of the New Testament passages.

Philippians 2:5-11 “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

The first part of that certainly speaks of the incarnation of Jesus,

But it is the last part we still anticipate.

Even think of some of the songs we sing at Christmas.

“Joy to the world, the Lord is come, let earth receive her king. Let every heart prepare Him room, and heaven and nature sing, and heaven and nature sing, and heaven and heaven and nature sing.

“Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ, While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains Repeat the sounding joy. Repeat the sounding joy. Repeat the sounding joy.

“No more let sin and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground. He comes to make His blessings flow, far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found, far as, far as the curse is found

“He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove, the glories of His righteousness and wonders of His love and wonders of His love, and wonders, wonders of His love.”

IF YOU WANT TO APPRECIATE CHRISTMAS

Don’t just look back at the manger.

Look at why the manger happened. Because we had an appointment with death.

Don’t just look at the manger…

Look at where the child in the manger was headed. born to die that we might live.

Don’t just look at the manger…

Look that God came once, and know that He will certainly come again.

#4 THE NECESSARY ANTICIPATION

Hebrews 9:28

“so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”

You see, the reason you must have this anticipation,

Is because those are the ones to whom Christ belongs.

The reason we can often go through Christmas with such apathy

Is because we often anticipate the presents we will receive

More than we do the return of Christ.

We often anticipate the things of this world more than His return.

We must be among those who eagerly anticipate the coming of Jesus.

Imagine Joseph and Mary…how eager they must have been.

Imagine Simeon…how eager he must have been.

Imagine the Magi…

Imagine the Shepherds…

Imagine every person who realized their problem of sin and death….

HOW EAGER THEY MUST HAVE BEEN FOR THE MESSIAH

That is how eager we must be,

2 Timothy 4:8 “in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

Christmas is about anticipation.

We still long for the coming of the Messiah.

We still long for His kingdom.

Listen to Zacharias.

Luke 1:67-75 “And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of David His servant — As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old — Salvation FROM OUR ENEMIES, And FROM THE HAND OF ALL WHO HATE US; To show mercy toward our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant, The oath which He swore to Abraham our father, To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.”

DO WE NOT LONG FOR THOSE SAME THINGS?

If you want to know how to approach Christmas,

Then approach it with anticipation.

There is no greater proof that Jesus will return

Than the fact that He already came once.

And if He was willing to come once in a manger

Certainly He will be willing to come again in glory

If He was willing to come once as a servant

Certainly He will be willing to come again as King

If He was willing to come once as a sacrifice

Certainly He will be willing to come again as Judge

If He was willing to come once to die for sinners

Certainly He will be willing to come again to take them home

Christmas is about anticipating the second coming

Of the God who already came once!

Revelation 22:20-21 “He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.”